


Strung Out On You

by olddarkmachine



Series: 12 Days of ODM [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Implied sexy times, M/M, but all you really get is the making out, the galra version of catnip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-13 23:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12995028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olddarkmachine/pseuds/olddarkmachine
Summary: “Do you know if he got into anything that none of the rest of you did?” Allura asked, looking over the pair from behind Coran, keeping her distance as her eyes flashed quickly between the two. Her aquamarine gaze was a laser as it bore into him, and Shiro was certain she could see straight through him and to his thoughts. Heat spread over his cheeks and down his neck under her stare.“No, just the same flowers that we were all standing in,” Hunk said after a moment of consideration before he turned towards them. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”The only answer he received was a small hum as Keith rubbed the tip of his nose into the soft hair growing behind Shiro’s ear.





	Strung Out On You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ilovelocust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovelocust/gifts).



> Prompt: Keith gets into a Galra version of catnip

The landscape of the planet was surprisingly beautiful given the amount of warnings that Allura and Coran had given them before they were sent down to investigate it. Instead of deserted war torn earth, they found the cracked and broken ground adorned with violet flowers whose edges were accented by silver. If Shiro was more of a romantic, he might draw comparisons between the exact hue of the petals and Keith’s eyes.

 

That being said, the velvet mauve florets looked almost as soft as the gaze that was currently on him. Shiro offered Keith a small smile, one that could easily be interpreted by their companions as one of calm reassurance. 

 

“I don’t know what Allura was talking about, this place is gorgeous,” Pidge said, taking her helmet off and kneeling next to a bushel of flowers, running a finger over the buds. 

 

Taking his own helmet off, Shiro put it under his arm as he looked up towards the painted sky to admire the way the teals, purples and pinks of the atmosphere wove together into a masterpiece. Even the air was unlike what he would have expected, slightly perfumed by what he could only imagine were the flowers.

 

“This might be the nicest planet we’ve been on, right buddy?” Lance’s voice was filled with its usual cheerful mirth as he spoke, taking in the sight of the terrain. 

 

“It definitely doesn’t seem as likely to kill anyone as they made it sound,” Hunk replied as he plucked one of the blossoms from a crack and sniffed it tentatively. “I actually wouldn’t mind if we stopped here for awhile.”

 

Though none of them expressed it outright, they were tired. Exhausted from the constant battles with the Galra that had worn them out physically and mentally, they were all in silent agreement that a break would be welcomed. More than welcomed, in fact. They all wore dark circles beneath their eyes like matching badges, and scars had riddled their skin at an alarming rate. Shiro and his team deserved a break. More so, they needed one. 

 

Maybe that was why they’d allowed their guard to collectively drop, lost for a moment in the beauty and the all too good nature of the planet that they’d been dropped on. Silence had fallen over the group as they’d all fixated on their surroundings, allowing themselves just a moment to take a breath. 

 

It was then, face upturned toward the heavens, that Shiro was attacked.

 

***

 

“Well this is quite interesting,” Coran said, face inches from Shiro’s as he inspected the mass that was pressed into his neck, breathing him in and making a sound that that was eerily similar to a purr. Heat was burning his cheeks as he avoided eye contact with the Altean who was peering at the intruder that had made himself comfortable on his back.

 

Said intrusive mass, was Keith.

 

The Red Paladin had launched himself at Shiro while they’d still been on the planet, wrapping his arms and legs around him in a viselike grip and hadn’t let go since. When the solid weight had launched into him, causing him to stagger beneath the sudden attack, Shiro had been quite convinced they’d found the danger that Allura had been so adamant about. The other paladins had begin to shout, voices alert as they all went for their respective bayards before slipping into confusion as they’d all realized that the assault had come from one of their own.

 

Things had turned near chaotic when they realized it wasn’t even so much of an attack as it was what appeared to be some sort of drug induced cuddle.

 

Honestly, Shiro could handle the addition of Keith on his back. He’d easily maneuvered them around once he’d realized what exactly was going on and got them back to the castle without much hardship at all. That, he could deal with.

 

What he couldn’t handle, was the way Keith’s breath was tickling over his pulse, the way his thighs tightened around his waist, and least of all, the things he was whispering all the while.

 

“Hey Takashi,” Keith whispered as he nuzzled into the crook of his neck, oblivious to Coran’s all too close stare. “Have I ever told you how great you look in that armor?”

 

“W-we don’t know what happened,” Shiro stuttered as he tried to focus on literally anything else than the soft brush of lips on his skin. 

 

“Yeah, it was like one moment Keith was his normal weird, brooding self and the next,” Lance paused to gesture to where he and Keith stood. “That.”

 

Pidge and Hunk both piped up with their own observations, throwing out what he was sure were perfectly valid scientific hypotheses about what had cause the sudden shift in their companion’s behavior. Theories like _possible chemical attack_ , _maybe space sickness_ , and _weird Galra thing_ were all lost on Shiro as teeth pricked his earlobe.

 

“What about how great you would look out of that armor?”

 

Sinking his teeth into the meat of his cheek in an attempt to trap the strangled sound in his mouth, Shiro tried to focus on what their team was saying. It wasn’t the first time Keith had ever said something of the sort to him. In fact, he’d used a similar line just a couple of nights ago after a particularly hard fight. Both needing to unwind, Keith had followed Shiro from their lions to his room, not needing to ask permission to join him in the privacy of his space.

 

The Red Paladin was always welcome, especially when they both needed to focus on something other than the constant battles and occasional in-fighting. They’d always been able to fall into each other, even before either had realized they felt more than just friendship towards the other. Their revelation came months into becoming a part of Voltron after a particularly harrowing fight with Zarkon when Shiro had nearly lost control of his Lion, which in turn almost led him to losing control of himself. Keith had been there to anchor him, confessions spilling between them in quick whispers between heavy breaths and stolen kisses. 

 

Since, they’d veiled their feelings behind the wall of their friendship, neither quite ready to share their newfound relationship status with the rest of the team. Partially because Keith didn’t want to deal with the inevitable badgering from a choice few— Lance— and partially because they already shared so much between the seven of them. This was theirs.

 

At least, it was for now. If Keith continued the way he was going, it might not be for long.

 

“Do you know if he got into anything that none of the rest of you did?” Allura asked, looking over the pair from behind Coran, keeping her distance as her eyes flashed quickly between the two. Her aquamarine gaze was a laser as it bore into him, and Shiro was certain she could see straight through him and to his thoughts. Heat spread over his cheeks and down his neck under her stare. 

 

“No, just the same flowers that we were all standing in,” Hunk said after a moment of consideration before he turned towards them. “Isn’t that right, buddy?”

 

The only answer he received was a small hum as Keith rubbed the tip of his nose into the soft hair growing behind his ear. Shiro inhaled deeply, counting back from ten as he tried to ignore the way one of Keith’s hands had begun to travel down his chest and towards his stomach.

 

“How about you and me get out of here?” 

 

He wasn’t sure which was worse: the moan that escaped his lips or the silence of the room as five pairs of curious eyes fixed on them at the sound. 

 

“At least he seems friendly enough,” Coran said, tilting his head quizzically as he watched the pair. Shiro silently prayed that the Altean was confused by the nuzzling, chocking it up to some strange human practice. The small twitch of his mustache seemed to suggest that he knew damn well what was happening, much to his dismay.

 

“A little too friendly, if you ask me,” Lance said, eyebrows almost reaching his hairline from how high they were arched as he watched the pair. 

 

“I’ll show you too friendly,” Keith muttered as his right hand traveled even further, passed his belly button and—

 

“Keith!” The name was sharp as he bit it out, causing all parties to jump at the suddenness of the sound. Shiro grabbed at the stray hand and pulled it pack up towards his chest where it could safely stroke the breastplate without too many questions. All he could see of Keith from his peripheral was an all too pleased smirk that, if they were alone, he would have been free to do something about. 

 

From the way that grin grew, it seemed the Red Paladin was aware of that fact.

 

Fire and sparks had started to pop beneath his armor, causing him to squirm against the confines of the metal. A small cough from the others pulled his attention back towards the small audience in front of them, each of their friends showing varying signs of awkwardness. At this rate, Keith and whatever had gotten into him would singlehandedly reveal the true dynamic between them right there in the med bay. When the younger man finally came out of this stupor, Shiro was certain he’d be mortified. Not to mention he knew one paladin in particular who would most likely not let him hear the end of it.

 

The soft press of Keith’s nose returning to his hairline shook him of his rumination as he mewled into the skin.

 

“I’m going to take him somewhere else,” Shiro said quickly, making up his mind in the exact moment he saw three pairs of eyes flash towards where Keith was making happy noises into his throat. 

 

“We need to find the source of,” he paused as he tried to decide what to even call the circumstance. His voice was flat as he finally just said “This.” 

 

Then, without bothering to wait for the team’s muttered agreement, Shiro strode towards the door, his movement barely hindered by the purring man pressed into his back. There was no doubt in his mind that the group would be exchanging curious glances as they disappeared into the hallway. Almost as if to prove him right, Coran’s voice followed them out into the hall before the doors shut.

 

“Well, they have always been close.”

 

***

 

Shiro was caught, and his prison was Keith’s limbs. Not that he had put up much of a fight. Almost as soon as they’d crossed the threshold of his room, Keith had slithered down from his back and promptly begun to blitz around the space in some frenzied search for what appeared to be anything that Shiro had touched within the past 24 hours. It had resulted in a pile of his belongings haphazardly stacked on the foot of his bed for he’d even had the time to compute what was happening. Then Keith had thrown himself into the pile, the ever present purr in his throat growing dangerously loud as he snuggled deep into the different fabrics. 

 

For just a moment Shiro couldn’t help but compare the behavior to that of a cat he’d once owned when he was younger. Tupac Shapurr had had a similar reaction to catnip, its effect sending him flying across the living area of their home as he’d rubbed himself into as much of their belongings as he could, purring all the while. In a cat, the behavior had been entertaining.

 

In Keith, it was concerning.

 

His mistake had been when he’d made his way to the younger man, who had looked more than content to snuggle deep into a frayed grey sweater.

 

“Keith?” He’d said lowly, hand reaching out as if to stroke his hair, only to be met with air and the feel of warm fingers wrapping around his wrist. The room had tilted quickly as he was pulled down onto his back, arms and legs trapping him beneath Keith who was now staring down at him hungrily.

 

The purple of his eyes were nearly eaten away by the inky darkness of his blown pulls as he looked at Shiro, eyes taking him in as if it was the first time he’d seen him. He heard the sharp intake of Keith’s breath as he leant closer, gaze darting down towards his lips and back up quickly as the corner of his mouth turned upwards. 

 

“Did it hurt?” He asked after a moment’s hesitation. Hurt? Shiro returned the questioning look as he tried to interpret Keith’s inquiry. At first he thought maybe he meant the fall, but with his stare fixated on his face, the Black Paladin could only assume what he’d meant by the question. Slowly his hand came up to his own face, fingers trembling slightly as their tips brushed over the slightly raised flesh of his scar. Mauve twitched towards the touch before landing squarely back on his silver gaze.

 

“I don’t even remember how it happened,” Shiro answered, his voice embarrassingly breathy as he watched Keith’s crooked smile falter. A small shake of his head jostled the onyx waves that framed his face before he quickly darted forward and pressed a kiss as light as a butterfly’s wings on the marred skin.

 

“No, not that,” he whispered against his cheek. Hot breath tickled his skin as Keith laughed, pushing his own face against Shiro’s. Cheek-to-cheek, he could feel the heat of Keith’s fevered skin burning against his. Or was that the warmth from the blush that was coloring his flesh a bright shade of pink?

 

“When you fell from heaven, of course.”

 

Groaning loudly, Shiro grabbed at Keith’s waist, gently pushing him to the side so that he could sit up. The younger man looked impossibly pleased with himself as Shiro shifted their positions, a shit eating grin brightening his face as he winked at him. 

 

“Keith, what did you get into?” He asked, ignoring the way his voice strained as he stared into Keith’s darkened eyes. As if drawn forward by a magnet, the Red Paladin shifted forward so that he was once again in Shiro’s space, their armor clicking against each other as his shoulder knocked into Shiro’s arm.

 

“Am I not allowed to appreciate you?” Keith asked, his eyes wide as he looked up at him through the veil of his bangs. If Shiro was honest, the puppy dog eyes suited him. Filled with nothing but earnest affection, he was hard pressed to tell him no. 

 

“I’d prefer if your appreciation wasn’t because of some foreign substance making you act weird,” he said as he turned his gaze away from Keith’s pout. There was a soft tap as the younger man pushed his head into Shiro’s chest.

 

“C’mon, Takashi, it was just those flowers,” he mumbled into the hard material, voice laced with sugar. “Didn’t you smell them? They’re magic flowers. They make you feel great. Don’t you feel great?” 

 

Those big eyes looked up at him again, the sweetness replaced by something sharper, and darker that sent a quiver through his stomach. It was the look of a predator.

 

“I could help you feel great.”

 

A burst of energy sent Keith upwards, the force of it knocking their teeth together as his lips found Shiro’s with a heated rush. Hands made their way over the chest piece of his armor, searching for the clasps that held it into place as Keith climbed into his lap. Pressing further into the kiss, his tongue swept across the expanse of Shiro’s bottom lip in a soft question for entrance that he was all too happy to give. The sound of his own breathy moan was caught by the younger man as he licked the back of his teeth. 

 

A small, satisfying click was the only confirmation he received that Keith had found the buckles that had kept him secured within the armor before the blast of cool air ghosted over the sweat dampened undershirt he wore. Keith’s purr was near obscene as he discarded the metal and ran his hands over the tight fabric that left little to the imagination. Muscles fluttering beneath his love’s hands, Shiro retaliated, chasing Keith’s breathy gasps and nipping at his lips.

 

It felt as if his hands where everywhere and nowhere at once, the change in his behavior making it impossible for Keith to keep his attention on any one spot as they explored the expanses of his body. Somehow it was everything he wanted, and yet nothing at all, as if no matter how much Keith gave, it could never sate the hunger Shiro had for him. 

 

With a sharp intake of breath, he pulled away, his silver gaze looking down at Keith as he took in the soft pink of his flustered cheeks and the darkness of his blown pupils. He was light and dark all at once. The shadow and the illumination that created it. The sudden realization of everything that Keith was as he stared up at him, filled his chest with a yearning ache.

 

It had taken an unseen substance to lower Keith’s walls fully, leaving him completely unrestricted before him, free of the constraints that he held in place around everyone else. Admittedly, it had been the true reason he’d brought him to the safety of his space. Shiro was unwilling to share the brief glimpse behind the complicated mask Keith wore for everyone. 

 

Everyone but him.

 

His fingers trembled slightly as he brought them up to brush his fingertips over the blush of Keith’s cheek, causing the younger man eyelids to flutter as he pushed into the touch.

 

“Don’t you know?” Shiro asked, voice brusque with weighted emotion. “You already make me feel that way. You make me feel like a better man each and everyday.”

 

His confession settled between them, tucking itself in the space between their chests. The air grew heavy with it, causing his head to spin as he watched the corners of Keith’s mouth twitch upwards. 

 

Their next kiss was filled with tenderness, just a simple brushing of lips that sealed the confession behind the cages of their ribs.

 

“So, no alien flowers required,” he chuckled, his breath tickling Keith’s skin as he moved towards the younger man’s neck. Ever so slowly, Shiro began to press soft kisses along his pulse point, smiling into the skin as he felt the way the steady rhythm jumped beneath his touch. He dragged his hands up Keith’s arms and towards his shoulders, fingers finding the clasps and straps that held his armor together. Flicking the buckle open quickly, Shiro allowed himself the opportunity to mimic Keith’s purr.

 

“Now, it’s my turn to make you feel great.”

 

***

 

The door opened with a faint whoosh, light from the hall slicing across his face and blinding him momentarily. Eyes cracked slightly against the intrusive brightness, Shiro lifted his head, arm wrapping around Keith’s shoulders protectively as he tried to focus on the new addition in his room. 

 

“Shiro! We figured it out! It was the flo—“ Lance’s voice cut off comically, the gasp that swallowed his words caught somewhere between a cough and a squeak. His head snapped back and forth between Shiro’s face and the pile of black hair that was Keith curled against his chest. It wasn’t until Lance had backed away from the doorway and the door had shut again that Shiro even realized what had just happened. 

 

With a loud sigh, he dropped his head back onto the pillow, earning a soft grunt of protest from the younger man. Pulling him closer still, he allowed himself a moment to revel in the warmth pressed against his side before he slipped back into sleep with one last thought.

 

_Looks like we’ll have to deal with that after all._

 

***


End file.
